REASONS TO BUY
10-minute consecutive wait
Straightforward design
REASONS TO AVOID
Inconsistent
Manufacturer settings don't warm enough
Can't reset after starting
The First Years 2-in-1 Simple Serve Review
A less expensive option that offers somewhat consecutive warming, but it isn't consistent and you can't stop the cycle
Credit: Abriah Wofford
RELATED: The Best Bottle Warmers
The Skinny
The First Years 2-in-1 Simple Serve is not a favorite bottle warmer. This option didn't perform well in most metrics compared to our competitors, and we don't think the budget-friendly price is enough to make up for what it lacks. The worst attribute about the 2-in-1 is its inability to produce similar temperatures using the same settings and the same starting milk. This unit had a wider range than competitors, leading us to believe you'll never really know how warm or cold the milk being served is. While it didn't get too hot at manufacturer settings, it also wasn't reliable, and we worry this will result in parents using settings hotter than the recommended options to get a warm bottle of milk. This could lead to nutrition loss or milk too hot to be served. With a harder-to-use interface and confusing instructions, there isn't much to love about this First Years and we think there are other, better options in this review, no matter what your warming goals might be.
Editor's note: This First Years warmer is part of our full testing reset for bottle warmers that occurred on March 29, 2024.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
The First Years 2-in-1 Simple Serve | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | $22 List $19.75 at Amazon | $28 List $30.99 at Amazon | $60 List $59.30 at Amazon | $80 List $79.99 at Amazon | $22 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Cheaper warmer that is easy to use but doesn't heat consistently or enough | The lower price, features, and multiple settings are appealing | A higher-price warmer that is easy to use and can heat consecutive bottles but it isn't very fast | A useful app and easy-to-use interface make this expensive warmer appealing | Simple and effective warming but requires prep work and could possibly be done with things you already own |
| Rating Categories | The First Years 2-i... | First Years Gentle... | Chicco Digital & St... | Baby Brezza Safe an... | Kiinde Kozii Voyage... |
| Health and Safety (35%) | |||||
| Warming Efficiency and Consistency (25%) | |||||
| Quickness of Warming (20%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Cleaning (5%) | |||||
| Specs | The First Years 2-i... | First Years Gentle... | Chicco Digital & St... | Baby Brezza Safe an... | Kiinde Kozii Voyage... |
| Heat Technology | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath |
| Measured Time to Auto Shut-Off | 3:42 min:sec | 10:21 min:sec | 7:22 min:sec | 5:2 min:sec | 10m:30 min:sec |
| Measured Temperature at Auto Shut-Off | 54.0°F | 83.4°F | 73.9°F | 76.1°F | 100.2°F |
| Measured Max Temperature | 108.7 °F | 88.4 °F | 92.2 °F | 105.9 °F | 117.2 °F |
| Bottle Compatibility | Compatible with Most Baby Bottles *Safety warning against using glass bottles as sudden change in temperature may cause them to break |
Works With Most Baby Bottles | Compatible with a wider variety of materials (glass, plastic, and silicone) | Fits virtually all bottles, storage bags, and food jars | Fits most pouches, bottles, and jars |
| Additional Info/Features | Some parts machine washable | Keep warm for 1 hour | Delayed start function | Bluetooth capability | Portable |
| Compatible with Glass | Not Specified | Not Specified | Yes | Yes *Safe and Smart Bottle warmer is compatible with most bottle brands. We suggest reaching out the specific brand of bottle you are using just to be sure. |
Yes |
| Compatible with Silicone | Not Specified | Not Specified | Yes | No | Yes |
| Compatible with Pump Bags | Not Specified | Not Specified | Yes | Not recommended *This product is compatible with most bottles and storage bags. We suggest checking with the specific brand to make sure. |
Yes |
| Compatible with Plastic | Not Specified | Not Specified | Yes | Yes *Our Safe + Smart Baby Bottle Warming basket fits all bottle brands/types, most storage bags (frozen or thawed) and plastic/glass food jars |
Yes |
| Compatible with Wide Neck Bottles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| From Frozen Capability | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Baby Food Heating | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Temperature or Timer Based | Temperature | Timer | Timer | Timer | Manual |
| Auto Shut-Off | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audible Beep | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Consecutive Warming Wait Time | Wait 10 min before heating the next bottle | Not Listed | Can unplug unit dump old hot water and refill with room temp water for consecutive heating cycles | Wait for unit to cool down completely | Can do a consecutive warming until thermos is out of water |
| LED Indicator for Completed Heating | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Measured Weight | 1 lb 2.6 oz | 1 lb 3.6 oz | 1 lb 8.4 oz | 1 lb 11.6 oz | 14.8 oz |
| Measured Dimensions | 4.6 in x 6.2 in x 7.2 in | 5.2 in x 4.9 in x 10.3 in | 5.2 in x 5.1 in x 12.4 in | 6.0 in x 6.6 in x 11.8 in | 3.8 in x 3.8 in x 8.6 in |
| Contents Kept Below 113ºF/45ºC | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Keep Warm Function | No | Yes, up to 60m | No | No | No |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
First Years is a company under the Tomy umbrella. They provide a variety of products for little ones that include feeding, bathing, and sleeping gear.
Performance Comparison
The 2-in-1 performed well in our nutrition and potential for overheating tests.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Health and Safety
We tested the warmers for health and safety, considering the potential for burns, scaling, and nutritional degradation. Studies show impacts on the nutritional content of breastmilk occur at temperatures higher than 104F. The 2-in-1 did well in this metric with an above-average score. At the hottest setting, the milk contents did not get warmer than about 100 degrees F at the time of auto-shutoff. Certainly, if you leave it in past the shutoff for much longer at a higher setting, it could overheat. In our tests, somewhere around 6.5 minutes, it did. However, if you use it as directed, our tests indicate it should remain within safer limits for overheating concerns.
We ran tests on the Simple Serve (and all competitors) using only one hand as this is how you might often use this kind of gear.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Warming Efficiency and Consistency
The inconsistency of this warmer is its true downfall in testing. With one of the lowest scores in this metric, it struggled to offer anything resembling similar temperatures when using the same manufacturer settings over and over. While every warmer showed some level of inconsistency, this one was more significant, with a range of 48F to almost 63 at the time of shutoff. This range got wider as the bottle continued in the warmer, and at 8 minutes, the range across tests was 91-115 F degrees. We'd rather have a warmer heat consistently each time to avoid potential mouth burns, loss of nutrition, and late-night frustration. We think most parents would agree. It would be difficult with this warmer to present a similar temperature bottle time after time.
We monitored the content temperatures over several test sessions to determine the average quickness of warming of the 2-in-1 Simple Serve.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Quickness of Warming
The 2-in-1 earned one of the higher scores for quickness of warming in our tests. On average, it took 7.5 minutes to reach 98F degrees, which is body temperature. Auto-shutoff is close to 3 minutes, but the milk was only about 54F degrees on average at that point. The problem here is the longer you heat it, the more inconsistent it becomes, and the quickness could become a hindrance if the contents end up too hot.
The Simple Serve has an accessory for adding the exact right amount of water.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Use
Despite the moniker "Simple," this option is harder to use than the average warmer in this review. We found the instructions hard to understand compared to competitors.
The chart layout took time to understand fully and wasn't obvious. It also doesn't have a setting for room-temperature milk, which seems like a design flaw. The instructions also lacked any good visuals, and the quick reference chart in our box was missing units.
The fill line is whatever is over the contents of the bottle. Removing the bottle at the end requires care to avoid burning your hand as the basket isn't the best, and the water level is high. The process can not be stopped once it starts, and even when turned off and unplugged, it continues its cycle when plugged back in. We aren't sure why anyone would want this memory level, but it is disappointing. We were able to do it with one hand, and it has the auto-shutoff feature.
Requiring an exact measurement of water using an accessory makes the Simple Serve a little harder to use than those with simple fill lines.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Cleaning
The 2-in-1 is one of the easiest options in the group to clean. This option has dishwasher top-rack safe accessories, and the remaining can be wiped with a soapy cloth, rinsed with a clear water cloth, and left to dry. This warmer has no schedule for descaling, so you'll need to watch it for signs of hard water buildup. The vinegar/water mix soaks for a couple of hours and is then rinsed clean.
The wider base bottles did not fit in the Simple Serve during our testing.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Should You Buy the The First Years 2-in-1 Simple Serve?
Despite its name, the Simple Serve is oddly harder to use, and its heating consistency was all over the place with no real predictable outcome using the same settings. With one of the lowest scores in the group and disappointing scores in most metrics, we think there are better options available to meet most goals and budgets.
What Other Bottle Warmer Should You Consider?
First Years also makes the First Years Gentle Warmth Digital. This option performed better in our testing for consistency, ease of use and cleaning, and nutrition. It also sports a fairly budget-friendly price, and we think the better overall performance is worth the extra over the 2-in-1. If your goal is the high-ranking and quicker, the Baby Brezza Safe and Smart is a high-tech option we really love, but it is one of the most expensive and could be a no-go for tighter budgets or those who value simplicity.
Manufacturer Video
—
Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz
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